Five Nintendo Franchises to Showcase Wii U's HD Visuals
by Benjamin Yoder, posted on 19 June 2011 / 11,106 Views
Nintendo will finally be making the jump to HD this generation, with a platform that is much more capable than the original Wii. What will Nintendo franchises look with this new coat of paint? Outside of Zelda (thanks to a tech demo), we really don't have any clue what the titles will look like. Thankfully, Nintendo has a large and diverse back catalog of franchises with a variety of different styles. Using their incredible quality-game history, Nintendo can easily show us not only what the Wii U is capable of, but what Nintendo and its developers will be able to do with an HD system.
Pikmin
Right out the gate, this is really the only confirmed Wii U title from Nintendo, aside from Smash Bros. Originally in development for the Wii, Pikmin 3 probably would have looked fairly similar to the original titles if it didn't jump ship. Pikmin's world is based around tiny characters in large environments. This gives you an up-close look at a world in which you can get ridiculously detailed on items and objects that other titles would put minor effort into, like cans, leaves, bottle caps, and, of course, Duracell batteries. Where would Pikmin be without Duracell batteries? With the possible power behind Nintendo's next system, the amount of detail that could go into small everyday objects could be staggering. Just think of all the beautiful Duracell batteries that are possible on Wii U.
Eternal Darkness
While not exactly popular at release, Eternal Darkness on the Gamecube became quite the cult classic over time. Even today, the title can be pretty freaky if you play it under the right circumstances, thanks to the sanity meter that plays mind tricks on you, chilling voice acting, and lots of zombies. But there's one problem with this game: it's visually not pretty. At all. The title was originally an N64 title, and it shows. Even just giving the original release a whole new make-over would probably do wonders to enhance the experience. Not only that, but it help show that Nintendo can make fantastic looking M-rated titles when they want to. Of course, we would love Eternal Darkness 2, but we will take what we can get.
F-Zero
It's been so long since we've had an F-Zero game. Even if it wasn't in HD, I'm sure many Nintendo fans would welcome the franchises' return. But if it comes to the Wii U, we could only imagine what it could bring to the table in the form of visuals. F-Zero GX on the Gamecube is a fantastic looking game in itself, supporting over thirty racers in a single race. Upon closer inspection, however, you'll find that, aside from some 2D backgrounds and some basic floating models, the title greatly lacks in the population of objects on screen. Not only would it be great for Nintendo to return to a more futuristic style, but they could also add even more exciting visuals to the course designs for you to speed past.
1080 Snowboarding / Wave Race
Both of these franchises fall into an extreme sports line of games Nintendo was developing between the Nintendo 64 and the Gamecube. Unfortunately, Miis and their versatility have sort of wiped both franchises off the map. And for the most part, they're probably not too terribly missed. It's not often that you'll see Nintendo go for a completely realistic style, only including real world environments. It would be interesting to see how far Nintendo could take a realistic approach on the Wii U, and really show off what raw horse power the system has.
Metroid
If there's one title Nintendo can use to show off how improved visuals will help Nintendo's franchises, it will probably be Metroid. The sci-fi style of the game has almost limitless possibilities, and with a focus on exploration and environments, we're sure developers like Retro Studios could bring some breathtaking sights to the title. And a new coat of shiny paint may be just what Nintendo needs to give the series, especially after the fumble that was Metroid: Other M. Well, that and a mute Samus.
40 Comments